Let's write config for your Golang web app on right way — YAML 👌

$ tree .
.
├── Makefile
├── config.yml
├── go.mod
├── go.sum
└── main.go

# config.yml

server:
  host: 127.0.0.1
  port: 8080
  timeout:
    server: 30
    read: 15
    write: 10
    idle: 5

package main

import (
    "context"
    "flag"
    "fmt"
    "log"
    "net/http"
    "os"
    "os/signal"
    "syscall"
    "time"

    "gopkg.in/yaml.v2"
)

// Config struct for webapp config
type Config struct {
    Server struct {
        // Host is the local machine IP Address to bind the HTTP Server to
        Host string `yaml:"host"`

        // Port is the local machine TCP Port to bind the HTTP Server to
        Port    string `yaml:"port"`
        Timeout struct {
            // Server is the general server timeout to use
            // for graceful shutdowns
            Server time.Duration `yaml:"server"`

            // Write is the amount of time to wait until an HTTP server
            // write opperation is cancelled
            Write time.Duration `yaml:"write"`

            // Read is the amount of time to wait until an HTTP server
            // read operation is cancelled
            Read time.Duration `yaml:"read"`

            // Read is the amount of time to wait
            // until an IDLE HTTP session is closed
            Idle time.Duration `yaml:"idle"`
        } `yaml:"timeout"`
    } `yaml:"server"`
}

// NewConfig returns a new decoded Config struct
func NewConfig(configPath string) (*Config, error) {
    // Create config structure
    config := &Config{}

    // Open config file
    file, err := os.Open(configPath)
    if err != nil {
        return nil, err
    }
    defer file.Close()

    // Init new YAML decode
    d := yaml.NewDecoder(file)

    // Start YAML decoding from file
    if err := d.Decode(&config); err != nil {
        return nil, err
    }

    return config, nil
}

// ValidateConfigPath just makes sure, that the path provided is a file,
// that can be read
func ValidateConfigPath(path string) error {
    s, err := os.Stat(path)
    if err != nil {
        return err
    }
    if s.IsDir() {
        return fmt.Errorf("'%s' is a directory, not a normal file", path)
    }
    return nil
}

// ParseFlags will create and parse the CLI flags
// and return the path to be used elsewhere
func ParseFlags() (string, error) {
    // String that contains the configured configuration path
    var configPath string

    // Set up a CLI flag called "-config" to allow users
    // to supply the configuration file
    flag.StringVar(&configPath, "config", "./config.yml", "path to config file")

    // Actually parse the flags
    flag.Parse()

    // Validate the path first
    if err := ValidateConfigPath(configPath); err != nil {
        return "", err
    }

    // Return the configuration path
    return configPath, nil
}

// NewRouter generates the router used in the HTTP Server
func NewRouter() *http.ServeMux {
    // Create router and define routes and return that router
    router := http.NewServeMux()

    router.HandleFunc("/welcome", func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
        fmt.Fprintf(w, "Hello, you've requested: %s\n", r.URL.Path)
    })

    return router
}

// Run will run the HTTP Server
func (config Config) Run() {
    // Set up a channel to listen to for interrupt signals
    var runChan = make(chan os.Signal, 1)

    // Set up a context to allow for graceful server shutdowns in the event
    // of an OS interrupt (defers the cancel just in case)
    ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(
        context.Background(),
        config.Server.Timeout.Server,
    )
    defer cancel()

    // Define server options
    server := &http.Server{
        Addr:         config.Server.Host + ":" + config.Server.Port,
        Handler:      NewRouter(),
        ReadTimeout:  config.Server.Timeout.Read * time.Second,
        WriteTimeout: config.Server.Timeout.Write * time.Second,
        IdleTimeout:  config.Server.Timeout.Idle * time.Second,
    }

    // Handle ctrl+c/ctrl+x interrupt
    signal.Notify(runChan, os.Interrupt, syscall.SIGTSTP)

    // Alert the user that the server is starting
    log.Printf("Server is starting on %s\n", server.Addr)

    // Run the server on a new goroutine
    go func() {
        if err := server.ListenAndServe(); err != nil {
            if err == http.ErrServerClosed {
                // Normal interrupt operation, ignore
            } else {
                log.Fatalf("Server failed to start due to err: %v", err)
            }
        }
    }()

    // Block on this channel listeninf for those previously defined syscalls assign
    // to variable so we can let the user know why the server is shutting down
    interrupt := <-runChan

    // If we get one of the pre-prescribed syscalls, gracefully terminate the server
    // while alerting the user
    log.Printf("Server is shutting down due to %+v\n", interrupt)
    if err := server.Shutdown(ctx); err != nil {
        log.Fatalf("Server was unable to gracefully shutdown due to err: %+v", err)
    }
}

// Func main should be as small as possible and do as little as possible by convention
func main() {
    // Generate our config based on the config supplied
    // by the user in the flags
    cfgPath, err := ParseFlags()
    if err != nil {
        log.Fatal(err)
    }
    cfg, err := NewConfig(cfgPath)
    if err != nil {
        log.Fatal(err)
    }

    // Run the server
    cfg.Run()
}

$ go run ./...

# OR with different config file

$ go run ./... -config ./static/my-other-config.yml

Hello, you've requested: /welcome